Thank you for your thoughtful reply - your points are well taken and the logic seems appropriate. I believe there is still disparity between Public and Private trees, however. Private Trees can view Public trees without invite, but Public Trees CANNOT view Private Trees without invite. Therein lies the rub, and the difference is the reduced level of service and resources from Ancestry.com when a Public Tree encounters a Private Tree. Public Trees encounter delays or dead-ends when encountering a Private Tree. Private Trees do not encounter those obstacles when researching Public Trees. For lack of a better term, there's a reverse correlation or an inverse relationship between the resources available when one type of tree researches the other. I respect the choice of privacy on the part of some of my fellow genealogists. The point I'm making is that we all pay the same but there are differences between Public and Private trees with regard to each researching the other and Ancestry.com needs to address it! My suggestion that Public trees be made private (only) to those with Private trees might level the field a bit. What would be unfair about that? Again, thank you.

Here is what is unfair about your proposal...

You are, in effect, saying "I've chosen to make all my data public but I demand that only those who have made all their data public be allowed to see it."

You thereby are making a demand as to how others post their data; sorry but that is *not* your perogative.

If you realy want only those willing to share all their data too see yours the answer is very simple.

Simply make your tree private and invite only those willing to make a reciprical invitation to view their tree.

Believe me, Ancestry isn't about to implement your suggestion; the hue and cry among the membership would cause a huge loss of subscriptions and that is something they won't risk.

Your main points appear to be "the difference is the reduced level of service and resources from Ancestry.com when a Public Tree encounters a Private Tree. . . . . there are differences between Public and Private trees with regard to each researching the other and Ancestry.com needs to address it!"

Remember that the trees are uploaded by individuals. True, nearly all consist in material lifted from other trees. You appear to believe that Ancestry.com owes you access to everything uploaded by everyone.

Trees "each researching the other . . ." ? Trees do not do research. People do. Most submitted trees, however, are not the result of research in records. What you mean is that you want access to all instances where someone may have information you want. Many who have done actual research do not want the results of their work, their time and their resources to be simply lifted by others, and have made their trees private. Those who do not want others linking to their trees, who do not want others lifting their photos, documents and transcripts, etc., have often made their trees private to prevent this sort of activity by tree vampires.

Other tree submitters do not have a "right" to such data as has been made private, but can request it. If the owner of a private tree declines to share it, that is their right.

The best way to get accuracy in your tree is to do the actual research in local records yourself.

Frostfreed has the right idea.

Most of the trees on Ancesatry are rubbish anyway - at least the hundreds of trees claiming to have relatives of mine on them.

Proper Family History research requires that you locate and examine the sources of every entry yourself. Just grabbing junk lists of namnes from Ancestry is another game altogether. To be certain that you have the correct ancestors you MUST see the BMD certs and the Parish Records (or DEFINITE images of them) YOURSELF.

I think I'm missing the point. It looks like this might be cleared up by a good, sober look at a dictionary.

Public means accessible by all
Private means restricted access

We all have equal opportunity to create trees online and make them public or private.

If it makes you feel bad that your public tree is viewable by all members of the public, make your tree private. The complaint sounds to me like the "Mom, she's lookin' at me!" car trips my siblings and I used to have.

I'm sorry but "viewing documentation yourself does mean certainty - in a lot cases it only creates more confusion.

Much of early documentation was handwritten based on info supplied by humans ...and if there a lanuage difference, even more errors crept in.

For example the Church burial resistry can list a last name spelled Hagman and the gravestone in cemetery next door and see the name spelled Hagman. The death certificate has it spelled one, birth records have it the other way.

On the other hand, viewing original documents can provide additional information not included in digitized records and indexes.

when you "lift" info from another tree, be careful to document it yourself.
I use Ancestry as a kind of "placeholder" when I am working on several trees at once. As I "prove" my tree info, I keep it documented elsewhere.
Thus my stuff here at ancestry is only undocumented or loosely documented for the most part, awaiting further research.
So you will see that my ggggggmother here is my best guess for the moment, and my final results may be pending further research.
I could care less whether someone sees it and uses what I have so far, You are more than welcomed, but "lift it" with a grain of salt.
As for Private trees, I have contacted some and they have always been more than gracious to help me. Every single time.

My tree is 'private', simply because of the photo's attached!

I may have a dead Aunt or Grandmother, holding one of my children, which, (for all the obvious reasons), I do not wish Tom, Dick or Harry to view it :(

However, if anyone has a valid connection, they could always ask?

If you didn't mention the relationship/name of the child what difference would it make?

My 2 cents (aren't pennies almost obsolete?).
Anyhow I have both public and private trees. Some of my thoughts:
I use private trees: 1) that I'm researching and are too messy for anyone to actually think I know what I'm doing; and 2) for trees I'm working on for friends.

I think more people would make their trees public (and I would be more comfortable with my own public trees) if:
1. ancestry.com was more clear about the privacy of those who are 'living' (I don't get it); and
2. If people were allowed to mark certain photos/documents, etc., as 'private'; with access only to those with those particular 'rights'.

But good luck getting them to change anything.